the thrill of the chaseHello Forrest,

If in 500 years all a person has is the poem, and no back story: they don’t know “in the rocky mountains north of santa fe” or that there are 9 clues etc. Could a person reasonably just use the words in the poem and find your treasure chest?

Thank you ~Nope
Thank you Nope. Nope. f

 

Best of luck with The Thrill of the Chase and all that you seek!  Treasure the Adventure!

117 Comments

    2. Hey Crazy
      I think that you might have read the mail wrong from f? Forrest never said that someone has figured out the first 4 clues!
      What Forrest did say is ” Some may have solved the first four clues, but I am uncertain.”
      Be careful when quoting Forrest, if your not 100% sure that you can word it right then hold back and check on it first, then quote away!!!!!!!!!
      Great question though and I’m a little up-set to say the least because Forrest has said so many times that ” Everything you need to find the T.C. is in the poem” unquote. Now Forrest said he doesn’t lead anyone on but his statement here
      today is contradictory to what he has said before, Hmmmmmmm…
      Timothy A.

      Timothy A.

          1. I think I will make up a new genre, word, and definition (which is how word used was created at some point) – called poemoir: A memoir presented as a poem that is styled like and bound as a book. There – now TTOTC is a poemoir!

            Twingem

  5. Pingback: On the hunt for a $2 million treasure - Page 149

  7. I remember Forrest saying searchers needed the poem, TTOTC and or a good map. That’s what I use. Why limit yourself and make it harder? Forrest gives us the tools, let’s use them!

    Thanks Jenny , Forrest and nope.

    DPT

  9. Sometimes, IMO, imagination is more important than knowledge. The little girl in India cannot see where Forrest imagined the chest would be hidden, but if one could feather or tether her connection to the Chase…then that one might be able to imagine what Forrest sees. Thank you Forrest, for opening my eyes. Once again, I have found a path out of the dark jungle, and into open daylight. Why do I feel like I need to do a 180? 🙁 I imagine some of you are having trouble seeing what I have imagined. Holy cape cod!…that’s a lot of knowledge to take in. 😉

    Iron Will

  13. Now this is confusing, in the beginning Forrest said all we need is the poem, in the book it says ” so I wrote a poem containing nine clues that if followed precisely will lead to the end of my rainbow and the treasure. So which is it?

    49 dollers

    1. 49
      Where does the poem come from? What is its source? Sure it has been taken from the book and posted in isolation, but it originally came from the book.
      Q: Are there clues in the TTOTC book? “Yes, because the poem is in the book.”

      We have always looked at this to mean the clues are in the poem, but the poem is in the book. Do one or more of the clues tell us to use the book to extract information?

      The Wolf

      1. Yes Wolf I’ll agree, but his statement in the book saying 9 clues if followed precisely will lead to the chest is a bit confusing at first glance but then again if you didn’t know the back story I guess it would just be another poem.

        49 dollers

        1. I think there are enough words in the poem to tell the reader 500 years from now that it is a treasure hunt.
          “With my treasures bold”
          “Take the chest”
          “leave my trove for all to seek”
          “Give you title to the gold”

          Not all is what it seems

          The Wolf

  15. IMHO, The poem followed precisely, will lead you to the location. But “The location is huge, and your destination is small” f. The book is needed, and there are “a couple of abberations that live out on the edge”, not mentioned in TTOTC. All in my humble opinion, of course.

    Chesney

      1. E.C.
        It has become quite clear to me that Forrest is funneling down the thought process for the searchers & the poem purists & the outside the box thinkers need to adjust there thinking. Most of us are qualified to think this way & hope your one of them.
        The one word that bothers me in the question is “reasonably” and I think this gives Forrest an “out” to answer the question the way he does.
        Who knows, maybe all you need is the poem…..

        Jake Faulker

  19. In 500 years people will probably put on VR headsets and take highly engineered chemical experiences to have adventures right after they eat they powered liquid breakfast with their vitamins.

    I’ll really miss the rainbow colors of real food in my next life. I hope I remember enough to talk about when we grew food ourselves.

    23kachinas

  22. Yeah you need the back story (and additional clues and hints from Forrest), a good map and BOTG

    The book(s) may or may not help

    How Forrest loves to muddy the waters. He loves to turn over a log and watch the critters scramble away and he’s doing that every time he posts here.

    RealitySucks

  23. Well…hmm…it’s a good thing we don’t live 500 years from now. We have everything we need to solve the Poem right now. “Nope” that is funny! Gotta <3 Forrest and his answers. Thanks Forrest, Jenny and ~Nope.

    Ramona Queen of Poor Execution

  26. Thank you Master Fenn!

    This is what I have been preaching all along! To understand and solve the Poem, you have to solve and understand the Fenn-Master. Look into Fenn’s heart…. What do you see? If you don’t see “Native American Ruins”, then you have not done your homework. Have you ever seen Forrest do an interview in his office? What do you see?? Remember, we need to look for errors, mistakes, and nuances in the TTOTC (for hints) to solve the clues in the poem. You cannot separate the two. I was embarrassed the way Andrew Briggs was treated on some of these blogs. He got some stuff right and most people didn’t even understand his solve or method. I like to focus on Listening… But then again… I am no closer to treasure than you my friend.

    Happy Hunting Y’all!

    Mike Forni

      1. Ellen no! don’t read that one, there’s nothing in there;) I believe I mentioned this a couple of years ago but here goes again. TTOTC would be an excellent school book, a simple read that could be read every year and a new twist discovered. I have never read a book that always gives me a different perspective like this one. Huh? How did I miss that, happens every time I read it. Truly a masterpiece IMO.

        Strawshadow

        1. Just a whimsical thought in passing, because you cannot see the smile does it mean it isn’t there? The older we get the more we should smile knowing how smart we are, a smile being the gesture from the heart not the head. Sometimes a smile may be confusing if accompanied with the wet splendor of a lonely tear. Confusing at best which is always welcome. Chesneys smile along with the beautiful smile from Jenny’s picture add up to a splendid vision of why God created the mountains and the oceans and why we should love and cherish them dearly. OK enough of the crap as JD Salinger would say, which is why I could never finish his story with his expressive gusto. Some may think this is wasted space, of which I can only partly agree. Peace with all that that entails.

          Strawshadow

            1. pdenver, your question troubles me deeply, and without knowing the details, I wish you strength in dealing with your impending hardship. As I gaze off into a beautiful sunset, my thoughts are with you knowing that Gods spectrum has the power to help you, for this I am certain.

              Strawshadow

  29. I think most of you are missing the many loopholes offered by the question itself:

    “If in 500 years all a person has is the poem, and no back story: they don’t know “in the rocky mountains north of santa fe” or that there are 9 clues etc. Could a person reasonably just use the words in the poem and find your treasure chest?”

    So you don’t know the search is confined to New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.
    In fact, you don’t know that the chest is somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.
    You don’t even know that the chest is somewhere in North America.

    You have the poem, and the chest is somewhere on planet earth (though even the latter may not be sufficiently inclusive by the year 2516!) There may be only one correct WWWH (by Forrest’s reckoning) in those four states, or even in the Rocky Mountains north of Santa Fe. But suppose there are others if the search zone is opened up to the whole earth?

    Poem Purists certainly have nothing to worry about. Forrest is not saying you *need* TTOTC — in fact if he did, he would be contradicting himself. Besides, the question has an even larger loophole: no mention of a map! Forrest has said repeatedly that you need the poem AND a map. And 500 years from now, a contemporary map may not work since some place names will have changed. You will need a map consistent with the period the poem was written. But if all you have are the words of the poem, you won’t necessarily know when it was written, so how will you decide on the right map?

    The question was all too easy for Forrest to answer in the negative.

    Zaphod73491

    2. Zaphod,
      While I agree with the overall message you explained… There are a couple things I’m not to sure about. One being; “You will need a map consistent with the period the poem was written.” Do we truly know that? All that has been mentioned is a good / right map. While an up to date map will help us find our way around unfamiliar areas we search, is a map that will help with the clues about this time period [ I’ll add, i’m not sure what “time period” you have in mind… 10 years, 20 years 85 years ? ]
      But I agree that there was loopholes… We tend to forget that we have [ for lack of a better term ] an intro to the poem that explains a few things, one being there are 9 clues. That seems to be an important piece of information, Yet it has nothing to do with a book of memoirs. Then there is “my rainbow” that seems important enough to fenn, not just to add it, but to place it in front of the treasure…. “So I wrote a poem….” and the following information that was stated was dismissed, or deliberately left out of this question, as well as the Little Indy question, that had only the poem it’s and a map of the Rockies.
      If we word hypothetical questions and leave out what we knew from the very beginning… Nope will more than likely be the answer ya get.
      “So I wrote a poem containing nine clues that is followed precisely, will lead to the end of my rainbow and the treasure:” Notice the ( : ~ colon ) it’s used to combine these pieces of information to the poem… that alone seems to indicate this information is needed to be known.

      Seeker

  31. There was a lot of information there in FF’s statement if you look at the back story. Everything he has ever stated in video’s television appearances and in the books. He has actually eliminated a very large search area. If we go by FF’s words here and there is no back story on an area then it must be eliminated from the search area. FF stated clearly with a resounding “nope” that if there is no back story of a search area then you cannot find it there.

    John Boy

  32. Wow …I just thought of another important thing this answer ensures. All of the poem purists who think if they study just the poem for word arrangements, anagrams, counting letters, word search-type message constructing…. are wrong. At one time , I was under the suspicious mind that you had to have the poem constructed in a grid of columns and rows with all punctuation and spaces included, and use the repeating numbers in Forrest’s scrapbooks (like 12 for instance), to look down column 12 and anagram the letters therein. This takes a load off my mind because I quit that approach long ago, and am glad it’s now not a possibility.

    Iron Will

  33. I went through his books and every video and interview I could find and made a list of all of the places that he stated he actually went to. Each one of those areas has a back story. I have eliminated most of them. There are only 2 places left that could possibly fit in my opinion. One of them fits perfectly…. so far. I will be there on September 1st. If it doesn’t work out then I will only be 4-1/2 hours from the other. I guess we will see if I have to start over soon.

    John Boy

  34. I remember FF stating that there is a word that is key. I find it strange that there is a word that he uses only once in the poem and he also only used it one single time in TTOTC. I believe it has to do with recognizing the blaze. I believe it is possible to see the blaze and not know it is the blaze without that key word recognition. I have no proof of that though. Just supposition at this time.

    John Boy

  35. I also believe that the poem is straight forward just like FF stated. He wrote it in a manner such as… turn left and the red house and then right at the big willow tree. That is how I choose to address my solves and one has actually fit perfectly. As I stated…… so far.

    John Boy

  36. Truth is that I am probably wrong. There is a 99.999% chance that I am absolutely wrong about everything. I do research of art, antique glassware, jewelry and anything else that could possibly be considered valuable. I do this for a living. Do I have 100% success. No. I have however been able to determine artists of studies for artwork back into the 1700’s. I am not good enough to be employed by the big auction houses but I am fairly good. In my humble opinion. It is my opinion that when FF says that there are no codes or otherwise that he is being truthful. I do not believe that there are any codes or hidden statements to be decoded. I personally believe that FF wrote the poem in such a way that it is more like …. turn right at the red house and look for the large willow tree and turn right. I have always looked at his poem in this exact way and I have placed my ideas on 20 plus places. I have found that only one place fits. I was there in April of 2016 and FF wrote me twice regarding this area. His emails to me were the same both times. ” You cannot find it in the snow” Does that mean I am in the correct place? In my opinion no. Randy was lost at that time and I was in a place that was dangerous AT THAT TIME because of the deep snow. Trees on top of each other and completely covered with snow. I actually slid under two trees and under two feet of snow trying to find the blaze when I was there at my spot in April. Is my spot THE spot? Hell I don’t know. I only know that his words are very select and if you understand his mind you MIGHT have a chance.

    John Boy

      1. Not necessarily true ..

        5-Leaf could very easily “have the blaze”- and the correct blaze – and not have a clue where Bronze Beauty is. There’s absolutely nothing that says, or even implies, that it gets “easy from there” ..

        Brad

        Brad Hartliep

  38. I have recently learned that my most recent solve is incorrect. In that process I have realized the correct solve. It is my OPINION that a person can only figure out 6 maybe 7 of the clues without being onsite. The other 2-3 must be found while you are on site. However that is my opinion. I have learned so many times that I am wrong , then re figured and I found I was wrong , then re figured again and found I was wrong yet again. I believe I have always been getting closer. I believe now I am VERY close. However I need to be on site to find the Blaze. There are clues and hints to be able to find the blaze. I do not believe the blaze is going to be as openly recognizable as most people think. I believe it is possible to look directly at the blaze and not know it is the blaze. However here again I could be COMPLETELY wrong. FF made this hard but at the same time obvious. FF stated ” If you have been WISE and found the blaze” I am not trying to tell anyone what to believe. I am merely trying to express my belief that the blaze isn’t what ANYONE thinks it is. Nor is it anyWHERE people are looking. I understand why it took him all afternoon. ALL afternoon. I also understand why you should take a sandwich. When you get there you will not want to go to the treasure. You will want to look at the beauty that GOD made that is before you at the site of the blaze. Stop and enjoy the beauty. Then go down and get it. When you get there you will understand…. so I am told.

    This is all my opinion. I may very well be a complete idiot. I would ask that you allow me to believe even if you think me wrong.

    GOD bless everyone.
    John Boy

    John Boy

    1. Really Cool, What does this have to do with the post at the top of the page, though. Did it all come together for you after reading the post at the top? Really Could figure it all out from that? Just wondering.

      HeadedDown

  40. Hey Everyone,
    Mr Fenn has said on numerous occasions that all you need to find the treasure is the poem; if you follow the clues precisely, you will find the treasure. But that’s not exactly true, as he answers above. What else is not….quite…..like….he has said?OK, herein lies the rub for me. It makes puzzle solving very difficult if you don’t know which clues are accurate and which miss the mark. Am I seeing this wrong?

    Andy

  41. I’m sure that this thread is very likely dead, but here goes anyway:
    This is a very important question and perhaps someone can answer it or point the direction to where the answer can be found:
    Forrest says don’t go looking for the treasure in a place where a 79-80 year old man couldn’t go. So from his car to the hiding spot (twice in one afternoon) is not a problem for an 80 year old man, but what about following the route he lays out in the poem? Can an 80 year old man follow THAT? Because I am quite certain they are two different things. And, while I’m at it, can the poem’s route be completed in a couple of hours? A couple of days? Weeks???

    And since I’m pretty sure I’m talking only to myself, here’s my favourite joke:
    Why’d the monkey fall out of the tree? ‘Cause he was dead! Wahahahaha!!

    Andy

  43. @Andy –> You wood be amazed at how many Chasers read these blogs. (Imagine a small child excitedly attempting to find the secret toy hidden inside a box of sugary cereal and you’d be close!) 🙂 I consistently read Chaser posts because so many people have such different perspectives! It’s truly fun to read them all!!!

    P.S. Bad jokes are awesome because they are always so silly!

    So…here goes…

    Q: What does Batman use to make his hair look great?

    A: Conditioner Gordon

    To all Chasers: Please be safe as you journey forth!

    TrailThumper

  44. lol…. Bad jokes are curious things…. you know they are bad, but they always make you laugh…so are they really bad jokes? Maybe I should create a ‘bad joke’ post just for ‘fun additions’!

    Jenny Kile

  45. OMG, there’s life in them thar hills!!
    Hello all!
    As for my question: we know that Forrest made the trip from his car to the hiding spot twice in one afternoon. Then he devised this elaborate treasure hunt route for everyone else to follow, to get them to that same spot, but by a much more complicated route. Right? I mean, it certainly wouldn’t be much of a treasure hunt if he said “park here and go there”, all done. He really could have started the hunt ANYWHERE as long as it ended at the hiding spot. Maybe “start at the Empire State Building, travel south-west to the Mississippi River, take a paddle wheeler 4 miles north………….until finally……..found the blaze, look quickly down your, your quest to cease.
    Oh my, sorry for the rambling, but hopefully you all get what my question is. Has there been any mention as to how long the POEM’s route would take an average person?

    And a separate section for bad jokes? That would be awesome!!

    Andy

    1. Forrest KNEW the route. Therefore he knew EXACTLY where to go and where to turn ..

      I would guess that there are two, or maybe even three routes, to where he parked:

      A “difficult route”, as described by the poem
      (which may also be the route he followed; but see above ^) ..

      A “really difficult route” — for someone who misinterprets one or two of the clues and gets turned the wrong direction. This would be the classic “endless circle of clues” hidden treasure route that takes you around, in a great big arc, twisting and turning, following false leads — and eventually brings you right back to an earlier clue — usually the first — and you realize you made a huge mistake somewhere and you have to start all over again ..

      And then there is the “easy route” — that I believe Forrest took, either from the Airport or Peggy’s House, depending on if he drove, or flew in and rented a sedan, or the Hotel Motel, with an overnight stay the night before, then hiding Bronze Beauty the next day) .. or .. wherever he stayed or left from ..

      However, I believe all Nine Clues can be found in a single day — IF your really lucky, and you find each of the Nine Clues quickly, and you don’t get distracted by any false leads — which, considering all the failed “solves” — and by thousands of searchers, would imply a very high level of difficulty exits .. somewhere along the Happy Zappy Trail ..

      But: that could still be a 10 or 12-hour day, starting at sunrise and working ’til sunset .. so .. beginning to end .. no more than say .. 100 miles (though 50 miles is the more likely distance) .. giving an hour or so to travel, interpret the signs, and find each clue — IF you’ve solved the poem and know EXACTLY where you’re going — with a little wiggle room for minor mistakes, or long pauses of thought and decipherment, between clues discovered ..

      But then I’m pretty stupid, so ..
      Take it with a grain of salt.

      All My Best,

      Brad

      Brad Hartliep

      1. Brad,
        Thanks for the reply and interesting comments. Something that had occurred to me, and to you obviously as well, is that the clues might lead a searcher to where Forrest parked his car, and from there, to the hiding place, and not just a one long overland bushwhack to the treasure. Makes the gears in my head go round and around.
        One point you made I would disagree with though and that is: I think if you miss a clue or get it wrong, you’re done, it’s over, enjoy the scenery ’cause there ain’t no treasure in your future.
        And if you’re pretty stupid…..there’s no hope for any of us!
        Cheers!

        Andy

      2. Brad, I believe that solving at least 7 or 8 clues correctly before leaving home on a
        search trip is the reasonable thing to do. This way, you won’t have to fly or drive a
        complicated, circuitous route. A correct solve should show a good place to park,
        from which you hike to the specific/small search location. But I also strongly
        recommend that you have all the clues solved before leaving home. Otherwise, it’ll
        be just an “expensive vacation”. By the way, if one was to start WWWH and actually
        travel strictly per the clues, one might travel about 40-60 miles to get to the TC.
        And some of the travel, unfortunately, would be in a canyon where the only possible
        or practical way to proceed would be in the water. I don’t recommend this approach
        to “how to travel”.

        tighterfocus

        1. Hi Tighterfocus,
          I think you are absolutely right….to a point. The way I read things, you can solve all the clues before ever leaving home up to the point where you park your car. Then you need to be on the ground. Maybe that’s what you mean? Kind of depends where in the clues this car parking taking place 😉
          As for an expensive vacation, it’s probably on the cheaper side really! 🙂 I am no stranger to mountains and huge evergreen forests, rivers, streams, loamy ground and absolute silence only broken by bird song and the tiny buzz of insects. But the landscape, in New Mexico especially, looks absolutely amazing and is something I HAVEN’T experienced living on the west coast of Canada as I do, so if all I can get out of a search is experiencing that land, I’m in! If I happen to come home with a bucket of treasure too, well, that would be okay.
          Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
          Andy

          Andy

  48. Hi Andy – If you find the clues in the poem and follow them in order you will have your answer about the distance. I used to wonder about the distance among many other things. There is no other way to the answer to those questions unless you solve the poem. My recommendation is to forget about the distance and all the other questions you may have. Focus on the poem. It won’t be easy but it is workable.

    Hear me all

    1. You’re absolutely right, but it would be good to know how far ahead I’m looking because that would help in the search itself. If you can, for example, complete the whole trek in a few hours, but you’ve been travelling ALL DAY, you know something has gone wrong. Knowing how long the trip SHOULD take, roughly, would be an enormous help.

      Andy

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